Leflore County is looking to keep anglers off the bridges in a bid to boost safety.
Those perched on bridges throughout the county to cast for fish run the risk of being hit by trucks or farm machinery, especially on narrow bridges in rural areas of the county, said Leflore County District 3 Supervisor Anjuan Brown.
“We’re trying to ask all citizens to please stay off the bridges while fishing,” Brown said. “This is totally for the safety of the citizens of Leflore County.”
Bridges can be a popular spot for sportsmen and amateur fishermen to cast from, but Brown said that wide farm machinery, trucks and car traffic can also make the bridges a potentially deadly bottleneck for traffic.
Brown said the effort to cut back on fishing from bridges was prompted by concerns and complaints from farmers, landowners and other residents that the anglers were creating a potential and unnecessary hazard.
On many smaller county bridges, two vehicles crossing at the same time wouldn’t leave room for anyone else on the bridge, Brown said. “Please look at safety first. We don’t want anybody to get injured or — God forbid — killed while fishing.”
Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said his deputies would keep an eye out for anyone obstructing traffic on a county road — a ticketable offense — including anglers perched on the bridges.
“The problem is there’s not enough room with the farm machinery coming across,” Banks said. “It’s obstructing traffic.”
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
